Mission to Mustafar
In the final year of the Clone Wars, Darth Sidious—publicly known as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine of the Galactic Republic—sent his apprentice, Darth Vader, on a mission to the lava planet of Mustafar to kill the Separatist Council, the wealthy backers of the late Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Sidious, who secretly controlled the Separatist Alliance as part of his plot to take over the galaxy, had sent the Separatist Council to Mustafar under the guise of protecting them. When Vader arrived, however, he assassinated each member of the Separatist Council in order to bring an end to the Separatist rebellion against the Galactic Republic. As Vader arrived on Mustafar, Chancellor Palpatine publicly declared himself as Galactic Emperor and transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire. Prelude Nineteen years before the Battle of Yavin, during the Clone Wars that were fought between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine—who secretly controlled both factions as Darth Sidious—orchestrated his own kidnapping from Coruscant, the capital planet of the Republic. The chancellor was made to appear to be the prisoner of the Separatist Head of State, Count Dooku, a fallen Jedi and the Sith apprentice of Darth Sidious. The Grand Army of the Republic, led by Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, fought to rescue the chancellor during the Battle of Coruscant. The two Jedi found the chancellor on the Invisible Hand, the command ship of the cyborg General Grievous, where they engaged Count Dooku in a lightsaber duel. Skywalker got the upper-hand during the fight, and, at the chancellor's goading, the Jedi Knight executed Dooku. The count's loss was a major setback for the Separatist Alliance. The Separatist Council, comprised fully of wealthy and powerful corporate titans who backed Dooku and his Separatist rebellion against the Republic, gathered on the planet Utapau and awaited guidance from General Grievous in the aftermath of Dooku's death. Grievous, on the orders of Darth Sidious, told the Separatist Council that he was sending them to the lava planet of Mustafar in the Outer Rim Territories for their safety. As the war's final days progressed, Grievous was killed by General Kenobi during the Battle of Utapau. Meanwhile, the chancellor manipulated Skywalker towards the dark side of the Force. Skywalker, who had been having visions of his pregnant wife, Senator Padmé Amidala, dying in childbirth, was led to believe that the chancellor had the power to save people from death. Soon thereafter, Skywalker discovered the chancellor's Sith identity and informed Jedi Master Mace Windu. Along with three other members of the Jedi High Council, Windu attempted to arrest the chancellor, leading to a lightsaber duel that left the four Jedi Masters dead. Skywalker, who helped the chancellor defeat Master Windu, pledged himself to Darth Sidious and was given the Sith name of Darth Vader. The newly-anointed Sith Lord attacked the Jedi Temple and the chancellor issued Order 66 for the clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic to kill their Jedi leaders, in retaliation for what the chancellor publicly stated was the Jedi Council's failed attempt to assassinate him and take over the Republic. After the attack on the Jedi Temple, Vader was ordered to go to the Mustafar system and destroy the Separatist Council. The Mission With the destruction of the Jedi Order underway across the galaxy, Vader piloted his Jedi starfighter, accompanied by his astromech droid R2-D2, to Mustafar to carry out his assassination orders. As he approached the mining facility, Sidious spoke to the Viceroy Nute Gunray, who was among the last of the Separatist leadership, the Dark Lord remarked confidently that the plan of the council had gone just as Sidious had promised. Though Gunray and the others did not know what was about to happen, the Sith Master promised that his new apprentice would soon arrive to take care of them and the leadership proceeded to continue monitoring the aftermath of the war, unaware of their fate. As Lord Vader arrived on Mustafar, the chancellor—deformed from Force Lightning during his duel with the Jedi Council—went before the Galactic Senate and claimed that the Jedi had attempted to rebel against him and take over the Republic. Promising to restore peace, security, and stability after three years of war, Palpatine proclaimed that the Republic was to be reorganized into the First Galactic Empire, with himself as the galaxy's emperor. Once the Emperor's enforcer entered the mining facility, he was greeted by Gunray and the other Confederate leaders who sought peace with the Galactic Empire. However, the Sith Lord silently used the Force to seal the doors in the room where they were standing, ensuring that none of the Separatists could escape. Vader then began his slaughter of the separatists once the room was secured, taking them out one by one with his lightsaber; he also destroyed the Security Battle Droids, an OOM command battle droid, and Neimoidian guards and aides who had assembled in the room with their leaders. In rapid succession, Vader began executing the Separatists By the end of the massacre, only Gunray remained and attempted to flee, however, Vader then jumped in front of him. The viceroy pleaded for mercy and said that Sidious promised them peace, but Vader cut him down as well, bringing an end to the Separatist Council. Vader then spoke with the emperor from Mustafar via hologram and informed his master that Gunray and rest of the Separatist leaders had been eliminated. Palpatine praised his apprentice for restoring peace and justice to the galaxy, and with Gunray out of the way, he ordered Vader to send a message to the Trade Federation Droid Control Ships that would shut down the battle droids of the Separatist Droid Army. In doing so, the Clone Wars officially came to an end. Aftermath After speaking with Sidious, Vader saw Amidala's ship arrive on Mustafar; she secretly followed him there after Kenobi told her that Skywalker turned to the dark side. She pleaded with him to run away with her and leave their troubles behind, but Vader refused—he said he turned to protect her, and that his new power would keep her safe and that he could overthrow the Emperor and they could rule the Empire together. Though she tried to make him see reason, Vader noticed that Kenobi was standing in her ship. He too followed Vader to Mustafar, sneaking aboard Amidala's ship without her knowledge. An enraged Vader attacked his pregnant wife and knocked her unconscious, leading to a brutal lightsaber duel between Vader and his former Jedi Master. By the end of the fight, Vader was left horrifically burned from a lava river. Kenobi fled with Artoo and Amidala, who secretly gave birth to twins before dying as Vader had foreseen, while the Emperor arrived on Mustafar to tend to his wounded apprentice. Vader was forced to wear a cybernetic suit of armor for the rest of his life in order to survive. Category:Mission Category:Mustafar Category:Darth Vader Category:Clone Wars